who owns the yacht db9

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Boat of the Week: How an Iconic 171-Foot Superyacht Got New Life After Being Unused for a Decade

Commissioned by a russian oligarch, then acquired by a turkish owner, "db9" sat idle for years. then its us owner brought it back to life., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories, this speedy 70-foot power catamaran is designed to cut through rough waters.

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It’s just a tad more powerful than the Aston Martin it’s named after. With a staggering 9,200-turbocharged horsepower, this 171-foot speed machine can reach a highly impressive 37 mph, two or three times faster than other yachts its size. Breakfast in Monaco, lunch in Porto Cervo and back in time for dinner? No problem.

Launched back in 2010 and christened DB9 after the classic V12-engined British sports car, it was the first of Palmer Johnson ’s iconic PJ 170 Sport Yacht range, and the only one built in England.

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Eleven years later, DB9 still spins heads from St. Tropez to St. Barts—two of its favorite ports of call—like few other superyachts. Those razor-edged lines are from designers Carlo Nuvolari and Dan Lenard of Venice-based Nuvolari Lenard.

The champagne-colored hull, red boot stripe and sculpted superstructure immediately identify DB9 , wherever it goes on either side of the Atlantic.  Courtesy YPI

Today, DB9 is the pride and joy of American businessman and boat lover, John Rosatti. Maybe you’ve bought a new car from one of his many Plaza Auto Mall dealerships. Or fine-dined at his Vic & Angelo’s Italian eatery in South Florida. Or grabbed a burger at one of his successful BurgerFi joints.

Rosatti bought DB9 back in 2019 a year after selling his much-loved 214-foot Codecasa superyacht Double Down . Before that, he owned the 160-foot Christensen Nice ’n Easy and, before that, the 127-foot Crescent Take it Easy.

At the time, the yacht was languishing unloved in an Istanbul shipyard, a for-sale sign in its window and an €18 million asking price. Rosatti’s car dealer instincts weighed the pros and cons. The cons included pricy overhauls for the yacht’s entire mechanical and electronic systems, plus a re-spray of the hull. The single, but eventually deciding, pro: an iconic boat at a great price.

The 171-footer has three onboard swimming pools, not to mention a small navy of water toys.  Courtesy YPI

Rosatti is currently off-the-grid aboard DB9 , cruising around the Italian island of Sardinia, so wasn’t available for comment. But Peter Thompson, managing director of Monaco-based Yachting Partners International, and Rosatti’s longtime friend and boat-buying advisor, gave Robb Report a history of the boat.

“ DB9 had pretty much been in mothballs her entire life,” he says. “Shortly after launch, she was hauled out of the water and parked on the hard. When we tracked her down in Istanbul years later, she had less than 1,200 hours on the engines.”

The Palmer Johnson was originally built for the Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev. He was the founder of the MezhPrombank, and a close friend and advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to published reports, in 2011, a year after he took delivery of DB9 , Pugachev was accused by the Russian government of running off with a $1 billion bailout loan given to his bank. His considerable assets were reportedly seized, including DB9 , and he fled to England. He’s now living in exile in the South of France.

After sitting idle for years, the yacht went through a refit in 2019.  Courtesy YPI

“A Turkish buyer bought the boat out of receivership in 2016, managed to get it to Istanbul and renamed it Aura ,” says Thompson. “But it just sat there and, as we know, boats like these hate not being used. When we found her in 2019, she needed work.”

After the purchase, the boat went into the Dunya Yachts yard in Istanbul for a comprehensive refit. All the systems were upgraded, those mighty MAN diesels were overhauled and the yacht was given a complete re-paint in that polarizing Champagne-with-red-bootstripe color scheme. And the original DB9 name was resurrected.

“Today she’s in absolutely pristine condition,” says Thompson. ”Inside and out, she looks brand new and still turns heads like no other boat I know.”

The interior also received a facelift.  Courtesy YPI

Some of DB9’s coolest features include not one, but three pools, including a huge 26-foot saltwater pool on the foredeck that, when empty, holds the yacht’s RIB tender. Emptying it takes less than 10 minutes. For alfresco entertainment, the yacht comes with a state-of-the-art outdoor cinema on the sundeck. Belowdecks are five spacious staterooms for up to 12 guests, including a full-beam master.

According to Thompson, the “owner recently decided that he wants to replace DB9 with a larger yacht more suited to world-girding.” So, when the Rosattis are done cruising the Med this fall, it’ll be displayed at the Monaco Yacht Show in September, with a €25 million, or $29.4 million, asking price.

Maybe Rosatti should consider throwing in a champagne-colored Aston Martin DB9 to sweeten the deal.

Courtesy YPI

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DB9 Yacht – High-class $20M Superyacht

DB9 yacht is a luxury superyacht completed in 2010 by Palmer Johnson , a UK-based premier designer and builder of high-performance superyachts in Europe and the USA. Palmer Johnson 

She measures 52.36 meters or around 171 ft with luxurious open space and elegant surroundings. Her interior and exterior styling was penned by Nuvolari Lenard , a leading Italian yacht design studio.

DB9 yacht is ranked in the top 10% by LOA and in the top 30% by speed worldwide. She is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flagship for superyachts with 1250 yachts registered.

DB9 yacht interior

She boasts a large and modern interior that showcases a wow factor. Her clean lines and neutral tones add to its exquisite vibe, while her warm fabrics and fine furnishings exude a cozy ambiance.

The airy salon hosts a baby grand piano and a nice lounge area for guests to feel comfortable and welcome on board. 

Her full-beam master room on the lower deck is located aft and provides a refuge of quiet and tranquility during the cruise.

The suite, which can only be reached through a private staircase, is equipped with a walk-in wardrobe as well as a spacious ensuite bathroom.

Her layout is both spacious and versatile for an unforgettable charter experience. 

Specifications

DBY yacht has an aluminum semi-displacement hull and superstructure, which allows her to maintain great seakeeping while reaching impressive speeds. 

Propelled by two MTU engines, she cruises comfortably at 22 knots and can achieve a top speed of 30 knots.

She has a range of up to 3,400 nautical miles from her 117,000-liter fuel tanks at 13 knots. 

Her 1.6-meter draft makes navigating shallow waters and traveling close to the shorelines easy.

She is also equipped with at-anchor stabilizers to provide excellent comfort levels and a selection of water toys for guests’ enjoyment.

The red stripe on her champagne hull emphasizes her sleek design.

Her exterior features are three separate pool areas, including an 8-meter swimming pool on the foredeck and an infinity Jacuzzi pool aft, an open-air theater, a wet bar, enormous lounging pads, and a variety of sunbathing and alfresco eating options.

Accommodation

DB9 yacht can accommodate up to 12 guests and 11 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed charter experience.

She features a master suite, two double cabins, and two twin cabins. The yacht is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and air conditioning so guests can stay comfortable on board whatever the weather.

Her world-class amenities include two Seabobs, wakeboards, kneeboards, jet skis, water-skis, a surfboard, a hoverboard, and a kayak.

She was bought at approximately $20 million dollars and had an annual running cost of $1-2 million dollars.

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Yachts for charter

DB9 is a 52.36 m Motor Yacht, built in the United Kingdom by Palmer Johnson and delivered in 2010. She is one of 3 Sport Yacht 170 models.

Her top speed is 32.5 kn, her cruising speed is 24.4 kn, and she boasts a maximum cruising range of 4000.0 nm at 13.0 kn, with power coming from two MTU diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 staterooms, with 11 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 495.0 GT and a 9.5 m beam.

She was designed by Nuvolari Lenard , who also designed the interior. Nuvolari Lenard has designed 120 yachts and designed the interior of 108 yachts for yachts above 24 metres.

The naval architecture was developed by Palmer Johnson , who has architected 24 other superyachts in the BOAT Pro database - she is built with a Teak deck, a Aluminium hull, and Aluminium superstructure.

DB9 is in the top 10% by LOA and in the top 30% by speed in the world. She is one of 190 motor yachts in the 50-55m size range, and, compared to similarly sized motor yachts, her cruising speed is 10.34 kn above the average, and her top speed 15.48 kn above the average.

DB9 is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1414 yachts registered. She is known to be an active superyacht and has most recently been spotted cruising near France. For more information regarding DB9's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Previous Names: AURA
• Yacht Type: Motor Yacht
• Yacht Subtype: Semi-displacement
• Model: Sport Yacht 170
• Builder: Palmer Johnson
• Naval Architect: Palmer Johnson
• Exterior Designer: Nuvolari Lenard
• Interior Designer: Nuvolari Lenard
• Refits: 2021,2022

Available for charter

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Motor Yacht

DB9 is a semi-custom motor yacht launched in 2010 by Palmer Johnson Yachts and most recently refitted in 2020.

Palmer Johnson has emerged from modest beginnings in 1918 as a builder of wooden fishing boats to become a world leader in the construction of luxury high-performance superyachts.

DB9 measures 52.40 metres in length, with a max draft of 1.60 feet and a beam of 8.70 feet. She has a gross tonnage of 495 tonnes.

DB9 has an aluminium hull with an aluminium superstructure.

It is not necessary to live, it is necessary to sail; This is the firm belief of Italian design company Nuvolari & Lenard. No stranger to high-profile yacht design, the studio has stamped its distinctive style on a number of the ocean’s biggest and brightest.

DB9 is a semi-custom PJ 170 model.

The PJ 170 Sports Yacht semi-custom series presents a line of 52.2 metre motor yachts that demand attention with their combination of strong, substantial lines and sleek sophistication. Nuvolari & Lenard are responsible for the interior design and spacious layout created to make the owner's experience even more comfortable and luxurious.

Performance and Capabilities

DB9 has a top speed of 30.00 knots and a cruising speed of 22.00 knots. .

She also has a range of 3,400 nautical miles.

Accommodation

DB9 accommodates up to 12 guests in 5 cabins. She also houses room for up to 11 crew members.

She is also fitted with a jacuzzi (on deck).

• Yacht Builder Palmer Johnson Yachts No profile available
• Exterior Designer Nuvolari & Lenard No profile available
• Interior Designer Nuvolari & Lenard No profile available

Yacht Specs

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Who was onboard tech mogul Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht?

Topic: Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Six people are missing, including a man dubbed the British Bill Gates, after a luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch — freshly acquitted from a decade-long trial — had invited his work colleagues aboard a trip through the Mediterranean coast when a freak storm saw the yacht sink within moments.

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking vessel. The search for the missing continues.

Here's what we know so far: 

What happened?

The Italian coastguard said the yacht — the Bayesian — was anchored off the shore of port city Porticello, near the Sicilian capital Palermo, when it was hit by bad weather sometime after 4am on Monday, local time. 

Eyewitnesses said it vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn.

Managers of the sailing vessel Bayesian, Camper & Nicholsons, confirmed to the ABC that the Bayesian encountered severe weather and subsequently sank. 

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew," they said. 

"The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coastguard official told Reuters.

Sicily's civil protection agency head, Salvo Cocina, said a waterspout — a tornado over the water — could have struck the yacht.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr Cocina added. 

Storms and heavy rainfall had swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, lifting the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea to record levels and raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts told Reuters.

"The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," meteorologist Luca Mercalli said.

Rescuers recover the body of one of the people aboard the Bayesian.  ( AP: Lucio Ganci )

Captain Karsten Borner of the Sir Robert Baden Powell vessel told journalists he noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realised the ship had simply disappeared.

Mr Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Search crews, including helicopters and divers, are continuing to search the wreckage, lying at a depth of 49 metres.

Specialist divers reached the ship on Monday but access was limited due to objects in the way, the fire brigade said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Sicilian prosecutors have also opened an investigation into the event. 

Who is missing?

Lawyer Chris Morvillo (left), entrepreneur Mike Lynch, and Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer are among the missing. 

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. 

Mr Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.

Of the 22, one man is confirmed dead and another six people are still missing. 

They are believed to be inside the hull, fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari said.

Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who said he responded to a flare from the vessel but found it sunk, said he stayed at the site for three hours without finding anyone.

"I think they are inside, all the missing people," he said.

Rescue teams recovered the body of the yacht's onboard chef on Monday, identified as Antiguan citizen Ricardo Thomas.

The still missing people include: 

• Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah 
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of global financial services company Morgan Stanley International
• Chris Morvillo , a lawyer at the British multinational law firm Clifford Chance. He worked on Mr Lynch's lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard
• The identities of the remaining two missing are still unconfirmed

Who was rescued? 

Fifteen people escaped from the sinking ship. 

Eight have been hospitalised and others were taken to a nearby hotel.

Charlotte Golunski was among those rescued, recalling the harrowing moments she held her child Sofia above the waves.  ( Supplied: Facebook  )

Among those rescued were:

• Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was the owner of the yacht
• Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm, Invoke Capital. She says she momentarily lost hold of Sofia in the water but managed to hold her up above the waves until the lifeboat was inflated
• Ms Golunski's husband James Emslie
• New Zealand captain of the yacht James Catfield. He told Italian newspaper La Repubblica the crew didn't see the storm coming
• A lone Dutch citizen was identified by the Dutch foreign ministry as being rescued, but was not identified

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was recently freed from a Silicon Valley lawsuit that tarnished his legacy. 

The 59-year-old Cambridge-educated mathematician created Autonomy , a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. 

He received the OBE for his innovation in 2006. 

He then sold the software to Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011, with Mr Lynch personally netting $US800 million. 

HP valued Autonomy at $US46 billion ($68 billion) in the months leading up to the deal.

Mike Lynch in 2019 leaving the High Court in London.  ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls/File Photo )

But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of forging the software's financial records to make the sale.

As part of a decades-long legal battle against HP, Mr Lynch was extradited to the UK on criminal fraud charges. 

He steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling. 

He was eventually cleared of all charges in June this year. 

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a bill from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $US4 billion. 

Following the San Francisco trial, Mr Lynch said he would return to the UK and do what he loved most: "[being with] my family and innovating in my field."

The holiday appeared to be something of a celebration after Mr Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of the people who had stood by Lynch throughout the ordeal.

This picture shows the rescue operations off the Sicilian coast.  ( AP: Italian Coast Guard  )

In a separate act of tragedy, Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died on Monday, after a road accident left him critically injured.

Mr Chamberlain — Autonomy's former vice-president of finance alongside Mr Lynch — was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and had been placed on life support. 

What is the Bayesian?

The luxury yacht is 56m long sailboat, with a 75m mast labelled as the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

It was previously named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. It was last refitted in 2020.

Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $AU 321,000) a week. 

This picture taken on Sunday shows the Bayesian (left) and the Duch sailboat Sir Robert Baden Powell anchored off the coast line.   ( AP: Fabio La Bianca/Baia Santa Nicolicchia )

The ship also won a string of awards for its design. 

Ms Golunski said the yacht had travelled through the Aeolian Islands, Milazzo and Cefalù before sinking. 

It is likely the yacht's name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

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Investigation Into Yacht That Sank Off Sicily Broadens

Prosecutors are looking into the actions of two other crew members in connection with the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian, which caused the deaths of seven people.

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By Elisabetta Povoledo

Reporting from Rome.

Prosecutors in Sicily have broadened their investigation into the sinking of the luxury yacht, the Bayesian, and are now looking into the actions of two more crew members, their lawyer said Thursday.

The captain of the yacht, James Cutfield, is also facing a manslaughter inquiry to determine whether his actions negligently caused the shipwreck, one of his lawyers said Tuesday.

Seven people — six passengers and one crew member — died in the Aug. 19 accident amid a pre-dawn storm off the coast of Sicily. Among the victims was the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, whose family owned the Bayesian, as well as his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

On Wednesday, prosecutors placed under investigation Tim Parker Eaton, who was in charge of the Bayesian’s engine room, and Matthew Griffiths, the crew member who was on lookout duty that night. They are both represented by Marco Scopesi, a lawyer based in Genoa, who confirmed that the two men were under investigation.

In Italy, placing someone under formal investigation does not necessarily mean criminal charges will follow.

The cruise was to celebrate Mr. Lynch’s acquittal in June on charges that he had led one of the biggest frauds in the technology industry by vastly inflating the value of a company he had founded when he had sold it to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. This summer, he had scheduled several cruises to thank the lawyers who had helped him win the case.

Prosecutors in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese are looking into what caused the 183-foot sailboat — described by the company that owns the ship maker as “unsinkable” — to suddenly capsize and sink to a depth of 165 feet. There had been 22 people on board the Bayesian when it sank, 10 crew members and 12 guests. After the shipwreck, the 15 people who escaped had been transferred to a hotel in the nearby town of Santa Flavia, where journalists were kept at bay.

Last weekend, the six passengers who had survived the shipwreck left the hotel. This week, the nine crew members, including those under investigation, left the hotel and Italy, according to two people familiar with the situation not authorized to speak about it publicly. The crew members had not been prohibited from leaving Italy.

Prosecutors interrogated Captain Cutfield on Tuesday, but he asserted his right to remain silent. Giovanni Rizzuti, one of his lawyers, told Italian media that his client was very “distressed.” Mr. Ruzzuti also said that as he had only taken the case on Monday, he needed time to come up with a “thorough, complete and correct” line of defense, and go through the elements of the case, he said. Captain Cutfield left Sicily on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the case.

In Italy, placing someone under investigation means that they can have a lawyer present when non-repeatable examinations, like autopsies, are carried out.

Mr. Scopesi said that like the captain of the Bayesian, his clients were under investigation on charges of manslaughter and causing a shipwreck, “in a very general way, the prosecution hasn’t focused on anything specifically,” he said.

“We’re still at the beginning” of the investigation, he said.

Emma Bubola contributed reporting.

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo

Mike Lynch and daughter among missing after yacht sinks: What we know about disaster - and 'alarming' potential cause

The British-flagged luxury vessel named Bayesian was carrying 22 people when it got into difficulty off the coast of Sicily. Seven bodies have now been recovered from the wreckage.

News reporter @samuelosborne93

Friday 23 August 2024 12:24, UK

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Seven bodies have been found after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Twenty-two people were on board the vessel named Bayesian when it got into difficulty in the early hours of Monday, with 15 people rescued.

Here's what we know about the sinking of the luxury vessel so far.

Follow latest updates on the superyacht sinking

What might have caused the sinking?

The British-flagged luxury vessel, named Bayesian, capsized at around 4.30am local time on Monday morning off Palermo, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.

It sank in as little as 60 seconds with 22 people on board, 12 passengers and a crew of 10, according to the Italian coastguard.

Waterspouts, essentially tornados that form over water, were seen as powerful winds battered the area overnight, local media said.

The yacht may have sunk faster with all the doors open due to the hot weather, Sailing Today magazine editor Sam Jefferson has said.

"I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that," he said.

Official pictures show air conditioning units in several of the rooms, however, which could counter the suggestion open windows caused the vessel to sink faster.

The huge mast is also likely to have played a role, he added.

What are waterspouts?

Waterspouts typically occur during thunderstorms and can develop very rapidly, within minutes.

Their spin generally reaches wind speeds between 75-200mph, but can reach as high as 300mph.

They can travel at about 10-20mph typically but can reach greater speeds, making them difficult to avoid - especially in something as slow-moving as a yacht.

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, called the reports of a tornado or waterspout "rare" and "quite alarming".

"The vessel was at anchor in a recognised anchorage," Mr Schanck said.

"Depending on wind direction and the state of the sea, this informs the captain whether it is a safe area to anchor or not. There was nothing that was too concerning, for my eye. All in all, the captain used the information they had to make a safe call."

Who owns the yacht?

The yacht belonged to the family of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. He was confirmed to have died after rescuers found his body on Thursday. Mr Lynch was on holiday with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who is still missing, and his wife Angela Bacares, who was rescued.

Mr Lynch, 59, was known as the " British Bill Gates " and has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case.

In June, a US jury cleared him of all charges, which were related to the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP). The yacht trip is believed to have been a celebration of the end of Mr Lynch's legal troubles.

HP accused him of deliberately overstating the value of the company before it was acquired by the American tech giant.

Mr Lynch was extradited to the US to face trial in May last year and spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco as he awaited trial on 17 charges of conspiracy and wire fraud brought by the US Department of Justice - which were later reduced to 15 charges. He always denied any wrongdoing and was acquitted.

Read more: Lynch's co-defendant dies days before yacht sinking

Who was on board when the boat sank?

The passengers were largely British and American, with crew members were from New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada.

Charlotte Golunski was among the Britons rescued. Her LinkedIn profile says she is a partner at Mr Lynch's firm Invoke Capital and has worked there since 2012.

Speaking after the ordeal, Ms Golunski told Italian media that she lost her daughter Sofia for "two seconds" amid the "fury" of the sea but was able to retrieve her. She said she held the infant above the waves until the lifeboat was ready.

"Many people screamed. Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us were able to get on board," she told ANSA.

The girl's father James Emsley also survived, according to Sicily's civil protection agency.

Also on board were Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley, his wife Judy Bloomer, a top US lawyer Chris Morvillo, who worked on Mr Lynch's criminal case, and his wife Neda Morvillo. Divers confirmed on Thursday that their bodies had been recovered.

The yacht's captain James Cutfield survived, along with South African crew members Leah Randall and Katja Chicken.

Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef who was working on the boat, was the first to be found dead, the Italian Coastguard confirmed to Sky News.

During rescue efforts, divers saw "corpses through the portholes" of the wreck as they recovered the body of a man at a depth of 50m (164ft), according to Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily.

What do we know about the vessel?

The Bayesian is owned by a company controlled by Mr Lynch's wife.

It was known for its unusual 72.3m (246ft) single mast - one of the world's tallest made of aluminium - and shared its name with the statistical method Mr Lynch's Autonomy software was based on.

It was built by Italian company Perini Navi in 2008 and last refitted in 2020.

It was listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week, according to online charter sites.

The luxury vessel , which was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons, could accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites.

It won a string of awards for its design, according to online specialist yacht sites.

Mr Schanck, of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said the vessel would have been equipped with "high standard" life-saving appliances and radio communications.

He added the yacht would have met all international standards and UK Maritime Coastguard Agency regulations before its voyage.

It was previously named Salute, or "health" in Italian, when it flew under a Dutch flag. Its minimalist interior featured light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions on charter sites.

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What were its last movements?

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking site VesselFinder.

The Bayesian previously travelled to other parts of Sicily before its last sighting off the coast of the port of Porticello.

On Sunday, the boat was seen off the coast of Cefalu before it travelled towards Porticello, MarineTraffic data shows.

In the days before, the yacht travelled around four of the Aeolian islands, just north of Sicily.

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Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the sinking.

Related Topics

• Superyacht sinking

Sinking of a superyacht adds to questions billionaire Mike Lynch wanted to put behind him

It was a sunny August morning when software entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, gathered 10 of his closest friends along with his wife and daughter on the dock of Porto di Milazzo, on the northern coast of Sicily. They had come to celebrate his freedom. Only months before, several of the guests played crucial roles in persuading a San Francisco jury to acquit Lynch of federal charges related to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to HP for $11 billion. 

Five days after the yacht left port, Lynch, his daughter, four guests, and a hired chef were dead in the Mediterranean Sea after a storm flooded the ship. The drowned included the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, a star witness at Lynch’s trial, as well as one of Lynch’s lead defense attorneys. Among the survivors were a former Autonomy exec who went on to become a partner at Lynch’s venture capital firm, a second member of his defense team, and Lynch’s wife, who reportedly owns nearly all his fortune. The same day of the drowning, U.K. news outlets reported that Lynch’s codefendant in the fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, who had also been acquitted, had been fatally run over by a car as he was out jogging—a shocking coincidence.

Less than a week after the tragedy, there are far more questions than answers. Did the yacht named Bayesian —an homage to a statistical theorem for predicting future outcomes—simply fall victim to a terrible storm? How did most of the crew and a few passengers escape, and why couldn’t they reach Lynch and the six others who did not make it out? Italian officials are looking into manslaughter charges, but it’s not yet clear who they may have in their crosshairs. Giovanni Costantino, who runs the Italian Sea Group that owns Perini Navi, the Italian maker of the yacht, had harsh words for the crew, whom he blames. “This is the mistake that cries out for vengeance,” he told Reuters .

There are also huge questions swirling around the business ventures of the man dubbed the “British Bill Gates.” While the Bayesian excursion was to serve as a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal on all charges in the U.S.—where he had spent months under house arrest—the reality is that his legal troubles were far from over. In a January 2022 civil trial, the U.K.’s High Court found that the company, which by then had changed its name to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), had “substantially succeeded” in proving that Autonomy leaders had fraudulently made it look like the company was earning more revenue than it was. In 2019 Autonomy’s CFO was convicted of 16 counts and sentenced to five years in prison. At this time, the U.K. case is in a holding pattern as the judge determines what damages are owed to HPE. (The company’s spokesperson Adam Bauer says HPE is “saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who lost their lives.”)

But Lynch’s passing also looms over Invoke Capital, the venture firm he founded in 2011 and whose managing partner—Charlotte Golunski—survived the yacht disaster and saved her 1-year-old baby. One of Invoke’s most prominent bets was a 2013 seed-stage investment in Darktrace, a cybersecurity firm on whose board Lynch sat until 2018. Darktrace has developed a reputation as a sleek AI cybersecurity startup with ties to spy agencies like MI5 and the U.S. National Security Agency. It also became the target of short-sellers who in 2023 expressed doubt over Darktrace’s financial filings—the same sort of allegations that plagued Lynch’s Autonomy. 

Darktrace insists that the short-sellers’ allegations were baseless, and they say an EY audit it commissioned showed this to be the case. In April Darktrace received a $5.3 billion acquisition offer from the giant private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The deal, which Fortune reported will likely go forward despite Lynch’s death, stood to help rehabilitate Lynch’s business reputation. As of Aug. 14, he and his wife collectively owned 3.21% of the company, which would be worth some $170 million upon the deal’s completion. Invoke Capital has not responded to multiple requests for comment, and Darktrace declined to comment.

Following his U.S. acquittal, Lynch was pleased enough with the state of things that he had begun celebrating weeks before the yacht party. In the days following the not-guilty verdict, Lynch and his wife; Stephen Chamberlain and his wife; the attorney Chris Morvillo—who drowned on the Bayesian —and 20 other lawyers gathered at a restaurant at a hotel near the San Francisco courthouse.

Brian Heberlig, an attorney at Steptoe who gave the closing argument in Lynch’s trial, recalls that Morvillo gave a moving toast, telling those assembled that the trial was more than just a job, but one of their life’s works. “He really was a brilliant man,” Heberlig told Fortune , fighting back tears as he remembered Lynch. “And he ran his legal defense the same way I imagine he ran Autonomy. He let the experts do their jobs, while still having a strong grasp on the material. As he used to say, ‘Let the brain surgeons do the surgery.’”

That night was the last time Heberlig ever saw Lynch or Morvillo.

A ‘virtually unsinkable’ boat

The sailing party departed Aug. 14—five days before the storm—and comprised 12 guests and 10 crew members. The Bayesian was one of the biggest yachts of its kind. Its first stop was a cluster of small islands off the coast of Sicily. Then it jetted across the sea to the Sicilian town of Cefalù, before putting down anchor for the final time on the coast of Palermo, a favorite getaway for the rich and famous, and a former haunt for the Mafia.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who reportedly held the couple’s entire $1.1 billion fortune, was jolted awake on Aug. 18 as the boat began to tilt. Glass from a shattered window exploded across the deck, according to reports, cutting her feet as she ran to investigate.

Black and white security  footage  appears to show the outline of what is believed to be the 184-foot sailing yacht, which used call sign 2ICB8, slowly disappearing behind a thicker and thicker veil of rain. Nearby villagers and fishermen say they saw a sea tornado called a waterspout. Soon after, the yacht lay on the ocean floor.

Theories are swirling about why the yacht sank. One holds that a bay door was left open in the storm, causing the ship to flood and sink in minutes. Another holds that the Bayesian’ s 246-foot-tall aluminum mast—one of the tallest in the world— broke in the wind and took the boat down with it.

Most news reports say the yacht sank almost instantly, but the CEO of the company that bought the boat’s maker after it went bankrupt in 2021 disputes that. In a Financial Times report, he called the boat “virtually unsinkable,” and says that it dragged its anchor for 16 minutes before it sank. 

During those fateful moments, a far older nearby yacht, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, built in 1957, was drifting on a similar course as the Bayesian and not only survived, but also came to help. Some onboard saw a red flare shooting across the rainy sky—an emergency signal from those who had fled the doomed yacht, drawing the attention to a life raft filled with 15 of the 22 passengers.

Passenger Golunski, 35, who helped run Autonomy the first year it was at HP, described holding her 1-year old daughter Sophia as she screamed for help. One of Lynch’s most trusted employees, Golunski was a founding partner at Invoke Capital, the London-based firm that backed Darktrace. Lynch’s wife Bacares was also in the life raft along with Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who reportedly texted to her father: “there are deaths.”

The lifeboat survivors were soon plucked from the sea while the Bayesian came to its current resting place 50 meters below the surface. Over the course of the next 72 hours, a team of scuba divers from the Guardia Costiera and specially trained cave divers from the Vigili del Fuoco, the local fire department, used boats and a helicopter to triangulate the yacht’s position. The divers, working in bursts of 8 to 12 minutes, searched the Bayesian’ s six guest suites, master suite, multiple living areas, and dining room.

The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was the first to be found, floating on the water’s surface. On Wednesday, two days after the wreck, four more bodies were discovered, and on Thursday a fifth. Among them were Lynch and Chris Morvillo of the prestigious law firm Clifford Chance, who had made the controversial decision to have Lynch testify, and questioned him on the stand right before he was acquitted. The others discovered were Morvillo’s wife, Neda, as well as the Morgan Stanley banker and key witness Jonathan Bloomer, who had been a former executive director at Autonomy, and his wife, Judy. The body of Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was pulled from the sea on Friday.

The U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency tells Fortune it is in contact with the Italian authorities but would not provide further information. The U.K.’s Foreign Office told Fortune it is providing “consular support to a number of British nationals and their families…and are in contact with the local authorities.”

More questions than answers

Even as loved ones and the survivors begin to come to terms with the human toll of the tragedy, the business world has begun assessing Lynch’s complicated past and his many business dealings. 

Lynch was born of modest means to a nurse and firefighter in a suburb of London. From an early age he showed a proclivity toward technology and a fiery determination. He studied natural sciences at Cambridge, then returned for a PhD in artificial neural networks, the building blocks of artificial intelligence. When he was still studying for his PhD, he started his first venture, Cambridge Neurodynamics, monetizing computerized fingerprint recognition, eventually evolving into Autonomy. 

Founded in 1996 with David Tabizel and Richard Gaunt, Autonomy used an early version of artificial intelligence to quickly scan what’s known as “unstructured data,” especially including language. Autonomy quickly became a darling of the U.K.’s fledgling tech scene, and it was seen as a crowning achievement when, in 2011, the company struck an $11 billion deal to be purchased by HP, now HPE. The deal, however, was quickly engulfed in scandal when a year later the new owner alleged accounting fraud and wrote down its investment by $8.8 billion.

Despite the baggage around Autonomy, Lynch continued to ride high in the tech world through his venture firm, Invoke Capital, which he founded in 2012. One of its most profitable investments was Darktrace, which he backed in 2013 and joined as a board member. By 2016 he told TechCrunch that 60 employees from Autonomy were working at Invoke, that he’d raised a billion dollars to invest in startups, and that Darktrace was worth $500 million.

While fighting the legal battle over Autonomy and building Invoke, Lynch enjoyed the trappings of a mogul. The same year he announced his billion-dollar startup fund, he was sailing the Bayesian , worth an estimated $25 million. He reportedly also owned a $6 million, 69-acre Georgian manor.

By early 2020 Darktrace shared deep connections with Autonomy, including half of Darktrace’s board and six of its eight top executives. The following year Darktrace went public, soaring 40% above its pre-market value. But the victory lap was brief. In September 2022, an acquisition talk between private equity firm Thoma Bravo and Darktrace fell through , sending share prices tumbling. In early 2023, the short-selling firm Quintessential Capital Management published a 70-page report accusing Darktrace of similar misconduct that had sunk Autonomy.

“We are deeply skeptical about the validity of Darktrace’s financial statements,” the report read. Darktrace’s shares plunged as much as 17% after the report was published, though the company said at the time that the management team and board had “rigorous controls in place.” Darktrace hired EY to perform an audit, which stabilized its share price after the accounting firm found the company’s earlier financial results did not need to be restated. Darktrace never publicly released the report, however, with a spokesperson saying at the time that it contained “commercially sensitive information.”

More recently, Darktrace’s CEO Poppy Gustafsson wrote in the firm’s Q4 trading report of “shareholders voting overwhelmingly in favour” of the acquisition, and added the company is “awaiting the conclusion of the remaining regulatory processes.”

Until very recently, Darktrace had sought to distance itself from Lynch and his VC firm. In December, shareholders passed a resolution that rejected Invoke non-executive director Patrick Jacob’s reappointment to its board. This April, Invoke lost the right to that same board seat when it was discovered its shares had fallen below the required 10% threshold. Nonetheless, in a memorial to Lynch, Gustafsson wrote : “Without Mike, there would be no Darktrace. We owe him so much.”

While the Italian authorities continue to investigate the crash site, one thing is certain: The swirl of legal and business battles that surrounded Lynch during his lifetime are likely to continue after his death. A local Italian news site reports that the public prosecutor’s office in a nearby town, Termini Imerese, is looking into allegations of manslaughter surrounding the sunken boat. And two months before Lynch died, former U.K. Secretary of State David Davis reportedly said he was working with Lynch to scrap U.S./U.K extradition agreements that allowed Lynch’s trial to happen in the first place. 

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, Davis told GB News he would continue that fight in memory of Lynch. “We need to get a grip of this,” said Davis. “Mike, when he’d won his case, almost the first thing he did was ring me up and say, ‘We’re going to have to defeat this treaty, we’re going to have to overcome this treaty and get it changed for the better.’”

“I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said after the verdict.

Lynch’s desire to extend the legal fight even after his not-guilty verdict reflects the scrappiness he displayed throughout his life. This helped him ascend to the highest rungs of business and moguldom—but the success also came with a tenuous quality as questions about his business dealings dogged him for years. The not-guilty verdict and the pending Darktrace sale meant Lynch was in position to finally cast off that shadow. But now his ultimate legacy is poised to be tied forever to a mysterious and tragic hour on the Mediterranean Sea.

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CEO got big bucks as his hospital chain imploded. Here's who suffered.

Donna Gittens felt drained as she struggled to form words. Dinner plans with her husband and friends would have to wait. She worried she was in the middle of a stroke.

Gittens was rushed to Carney Hospital, minutes from her home in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Last summer's emergency spanned two facilities as physicians unraveled a medical mystery. The underlying issue was a brain infection, but she credits her neighborhood hospital's doctors and nurses with saving her life.

She now worries others in her area won't have access to the same emergency care.

Carney is one of two Massachusetts hospitals targeted for closure Aug. 31 following recent chaotic developments at Steward Health Care. The embattled for-profit hospital chain filed for bankruptcy on May 6 and has been mired in crises involving patients and creditors across several states.

The chain is led by a former heart surgeon who collected more than $100 million in compensation and bought a $40 million yacht while employees at Steward hospitals complained about a lack of basic supplies, according to a Senate committee. More than 2,200 employees now expect to be laid off in Massachusetts and Ohio, according to notices filed with state regulators.

The company's CEO, who lawmakers say has declined multiple requests to answer questions voluntarily, is expected to appear under subpoena in mid-September before a Senate committee to address "financial mismanagement" at Steward.

The case has raised broader issues for lawmakers and analysts about the role of private equity investments in health care. Many people from communities impacted by hospital closures are asking why there aren't built-in protections when a corporation takes over an institution providing essential life-or-death services.

The problem extends beyond Massachusetts. State health regulators in Arizona this month suspended operations at a Steward-owned psychiatric hospital after the air conditioning at the Phoenix facility cut off amid triple-digit temperatures. In West Monroe, Louisiana, hospital workers described searching the premises for basic medical supplies during procedures. One patient died at the hospital awaiting transfer to another hospital, resulting in an "immediate jeopardy" citation from regulators, according to testimony at a Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee meeting in April.

After the chain declared bankruptcy, the Massachusetts governor enacted an emergency plan to manage the disposition of its seven remaining hospitals there. The company sought and received approval from the bankruptcy court to shutter Carney and a second facility, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, by the end of August.

Gittens, who survived a health scare, worries her local neighborhood with a diverse, mixed-income population, will be left without essential medical care. During medical emergencies like hers last summer, timely care can be the difference between life and death.

"Carney is integral not only to my family – but the broader community," said Gittens.

Despite pleas from neighborhood leaders, the state has no plans to keep Carney or Nashoba Valley open. However, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said at an Aug. 16 news conference the state plans to use eminent domain to take control of another Steward hospital, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton. The state has struck deals with other operators to run the other four Steward hospitals.

Healey blamed Steward's financial collapse on its CEO, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, and the hospital chain's executives.

"This is not something that Massachusetts created," Healey said. "It was created by the greed and the exploitation of an individual, Ralph de la Torre, and members of his team. De la Torre's actions brought us to nearly the brink of collapse" at Steward's hospitals.

A spokesperson representing de la Torre did not respond to questions from USA TODAY about allegations of problems at an array of Steward Health Care facilities.

In a statement, the company said it would seek to minimize disruptions to patients.

"This is a challenging and very unfortunate situation, and the effect it will have on our patients, our employees, and the communities we serve is regrettable," the statement provided by Steward representative Deborah Chiaravalloti said. "SHC (Steward Health Care) is doing all we can to ensure a smooth transition for those affected, while continuing to provide quality care to the patients we serve."

Lawmakers cite 'outrageous corporate greed'

Steward Health Care was formed in 2010 when Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm, acquired a financially struggling nonprofit hospital chain from the Archdiocese of Boston. De la Torre, a Harvard Medical faculty member who previously led cardiac surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, became CEO of the new entity, named Steward Health Care.

The Dallas-based company aggressively expanded to a chain of more than 30 hospitals employing more than 30,000 people. The expansion was fueled by a splashy deal engineered by de la Torre to sell the land underneath Steward's hospitals to a corporate landlord, Medical Properties Trust. The sale-leaseback deal left the hospitals with hefty rent payments. Bankruptcy filings show the company is now reeling with $9 billion in debt, including more than $6 billion in lease payments to its landlord.

After the bankruptcy filing in May, Steward announced plans to close hospitals and lay off thousands of workers, leaving community members who depend on the hospitals worried about where they will get care.

The chain's financial flameout captured the attention of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which authorized an investigation into the company's financial dealings. The Senate probe is expected to include questions about Steward Health's deal with private equity investors, its lavish spending, the lease deal and the hospital closures. The committee also issued a subpoena that compels de la Torre to answer questions about his company's struggles.

At a July 25 hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who chairs the committee overseeing the investigation, said de la Torre refused multiple invitations to testify before lawmakers, which prompted the bipartisan vote to order him to testify on Sept. 12.

While Steward closed its hospitals, Sanders said, de la Torre was collecting a "$100 million payday that he used to purchase a $40 million yacht." Sanders said the executive also bought a $15 million, custom-made fishing boat and had access to two private jets.

De la Torre "epitomizes the type of outrageous corporate greed that is permeating throughout our for-profit health care system," Sanders said at the hearing. "Today we are saying enough is enough. It is time for Dr. de la Torre to get off of his yacht and to explain to Congress the financial chicanery which made him extremely wealthy, while the hospitals he managed went bankrupt."

When asked which sources Sanders relied on for his July testimony about de la Torre's compensation and boats, his staff provided links to articles in The American Prospect , The Boston Globe and Becker's Hospital Review .

Beyond Capitol Hill, Steward is being scrutinized by other entities. The Justice Department launched a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption at the company, CBS and other outlets reported . The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney in Boston declined to comment on whether the health care chain was under investigation.

Steward also has been investigated in the Mediterranean nation of Malta, where the company reached a $4 billion euro deal to manage three hospitals. In May, a Maltese magistrate recommended criminal charges against de la Torre. That probe involved the former prime minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, who was charged with money laundering, corruption and bribery . He has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 18 years in prison, according to local media.

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Private equity in health care scrutinized

The bankruptcy, hospital closings and disruptions to patient care at Steward are not the only issues the Senate committee will probe. Sanders plans to seek answers into private equity's growing stake in the health care sector.

Sanders said at a July hearing private equity firms own 460 hospitals in the United States – or about 1 in 5 for-profit hospitals.

"How many of these hospitals are being loaded up with debt in order to make a handful of executives and private equity firms even wealthier?" Sanders pondered aloud. "How many of these hospitals are in danger of being shut down? How many patients are at risk?"

Experts say the Steward bankruptcy raises concerns about private equity's involvement in the health care industry. Under the Steward model, the company's debt became overwhelming as it acquired more hospitals and doctors' practices.

The financial problems following Steward's acquisition spree were inevitable, said Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute, a Massachusetts-based health think tank.

Saini blames the chaos on the lack of regulatory oversight for health care mergers and acquisitions.

"It illustrates how moth-eaten our oversight and regulatory apparatus is for the health care sector," Saini said. He added that hospital takeovers have "much more social impact, much more meaning to communities than whether or not an iPhone plant gets built."

Hospital ownership changes require more guardrails, transparency and public scrutiny, Saini said. "We've got to be sure that you're not just selling us a bill of goods."

Louisiana patients in 'immediate jeopardy'

In Louisiana, state health regulators scrutinized Steward-owned Glenwood Regional Medical Center, which was hit with three "immediate jeopardy" warnings in 120 days from December 2023 through early 2024. These citations described lapses that put patients' safety in jeopardy and could result in the termination of Medicare and Medicaid payments.

Debra Russell, a Glenwood nurse practitioner, worked at the hospital for more than three decades before she quit last November.

During an April hearing before a Louisiana legislative committee, she described the dire circumstances for patients at the hospital. She recalled having to switch tactics in the middle of a procedure because the hospital didn't have a $5 tube called a guide wire. In another case, a young man came to the emergency room after a heart attack but staffers could not reach an on-call cardiologist because the specialist hadn't been paid. When staff tried to order medication from the pharmacy for the patient, the drug wasn't stocked because the hospital's supplier hadn't been paid.

Evidence of the financial crunch also was visible outside the emergency room. Russell described coffee pots being repossessed and said document shredding companies had quit.

Steward's days of operating that hospital appear to be nearing an end. Steward has announced another hospital operator, American Healthcare Systems, has bid to purchase Glenwood. The bankruptcy court must approve the deal.

Steward declined to answer questions about the sale or operations at Glenwood. In a news release issued last May, the hospital said it addressed issues raised by state and federal regulators following the immediate jeopardy warnings.

During the Senate hearing this spring, Russell, the former Louisiana staffer, recalled her final days at the Steward-owned hospital as particularly gutting to witness.

"It's the saddest thing I've ever been around," Russell said.

Florida doctor sells to Steward; vendors don't get paid

Dr. Charles Fischman thought he had sufficiently vetted Steward Health Care after executives approached him about purchasing his Vero Beach, Florida, medical practice in early 2017. The internal medicine doctor was nearing retirement age and considering his next steps. He wanted to make sure his 10,000 patients, two fellow doctors, a nurse practitioner and administrative staff were in good hands.

When Fischman met with Steward executives, he said each leader was more charming than the next. He felt comfortable with the idea of a physician-led company acquiring his practice. Steward representatives talked to his employees over breakfast and eased their worries.

"We felt good about it," Fischman said.

But weeks after Steward took over on June 1, 2018, problems surfaced, he said. Longtime vendors, such as lab suppliers, complained they had not been paid. The local water and power companies were within 24 hours of shutting off services due to unpaid bills.

Under the terms of the acquisition, Fischman signed a two-year contract to remain as a physician and a lab director. Things didn't improve in the following weeks and months, Fischman said.

Fischman's wife, Carol, who also worked at the office, fielded complaints from vendors – people the Fischmans knew personally after 30 years in the community. They wanted to get reimbursed for their services so they could pay their mortgages and cover other basic living expenses, he said.

At a Vero Beach dinner meeting with some Steward executives months after the hospital chain bought the medical practice, Carol asked why the vendors' payments were delinquent. She didn't get answers.

"All we heard were stories about fishing boats and hospitals in Malta," he said, recalling his conversations with Steward executives.

His wife eventually quit in frustration. Fischman said executives pressured him to refer patients only to other Steward-employed physicians. He eventually left the practice in April 2020 and relocated to Tampa, where he still sees patients a few days a week.

Chiaravalloti, of Steward, did not answer questions about the Vero Beach medical offices.

Hospitals grapple with bankruptcy, closings

State health officials and medical community leaders from Massachusetts to Louisiana are now trying to assess how Steward Health Care's bankruptcy will affect day-to-day operations, as new information about the company's business dealings and practices continues to emerge.

On Aug. 19, the Massachusetts governor's office sent a letter to Steward describing Carney Hospital as an "essential service" for Dorchester residents, while acknowledging the state lacks the "power to mandate" the hospital remain open.

Some community leaders are urging the governor to keep the hospital open nonetheless.

Bill Walczak, a former president of Carney, said the Dorchester hospital has been plagued by "terrible decisions" going back decades, long before Steward took ownership.

But he said Carney is worth saving to ensure access for up to 250,000 people who live in its service territory. He described it as a health equity issue for residents. Offering such a remedy is within the state's purview, he said.

"Massachusetts is a very wealthy state, and it has a lot of power," Walczak said. "If the legislature and governor and secretary of Health and Human Services wanted to put together a package today to preserve the essential services of the Carney Hospital, they could do it."

Walczak noted the Healey administration vowed to use eminent domain to seize Steward's St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton and transfer the facility to Boston Medical Center. The governor said Boston Medical Center's willingness to take over St. Elizabeth's was necessary to get the deal done. The hospital's landlord, however, vowed to fight the seizure. The company that owns the property rejected Gov. Healey's opening bid of $4.5 million to buy the location.

Representatives of Healey and the state's Department of Public Health did not immediately answer questions about next steps in the hospital seizure.

Dorchester leaders want the governor to orchestrate a similar deal to keep Carney open.

"This is not over," Walczak said. "Perhaps the governor will understand there are a lot of lives that would be put in jeopardy by not having an emergency room and beds, at a minimum, in this section of the city."

Ken Alltucker is on X at @kalltucker, contact him by email at [email protected] .

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Mike Lynch’s yacht was ‘unsinkable’, says boss of company who built boat

Giovanni costantino insisted there are no flaws with the design and construction of the bayesian, article bookmarked.

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Boats like Mike Lynch’s superyacht are “unsinkable”, according to the chief executive of the company that builds and sells the vessels.

Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, said there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian and it is “one of the safest boats in the world”.

The Bayesian, a 184-ft superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it disappeared beneath the waves in a matter of minutes after a freak tornado struck.

The Italian Sea Group owns Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini that built the vessel owned by British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who was confirmed dead on Thursday after his body had been recovered from the wreck of the boat.

Mr Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still unaccounted for. The bodies of the other four people who vanished when the boat went down were recovered from the yacht on Wednesday.

“The ship sank because it took on water, from where investigators will have to say,” Mr Costantino told television news programme TG1 late on Wednesday.

Citing data from the yacht’s automatic tracking system and based on available footage, Mr Costantino said it took 16 minutes from when the wind began buffeting the yacht, and it began taking on water, for it to sink.

Mr Costantino said the Milan-listed group had suffered “enormous damage” to its reputation, with shares falling 2.5 per cent since the disaster.

The disaster has baffled naval marine experts who said such a high end vessel should have top-class fittings and safety features and should have been able to withstand such weather.

Besides Mr Lynch and his daughter, the other people who failed to escape from the boat were Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, managed to get to safety, while the body of the onboard chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was found near the wreck hours after the disaster.

Specialist rescuers have been searching inside the hull of the sunken yacht for the past three days, but operations have been challenging due to the depth and the narrowness of the places that the divers are scouring, the fire brigade said.

Additional reporting by agencies

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The captain of Mike Lynch's superyacht is being investigated by Italian prosecutors: report

• The captain of a yacht that sank off Sicily is being investigated by Italian prosecutors, Reuters reported.
• The Bayesian yacht went down last week, claiming the lives of seven on board, including Mike Lynch.
• James Cutfield was questioned on Sunday and will be interrogated again on Tuesday, per local media.

The captain of the superyacht that sank in the Mediterranean last week, claiming the lives of tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, is being investigated for potential manslaughter and shipwreck charges, Reuters reported , citing a judicial source.

James Cutfield, the 51-year-old captain, was questioned by prosecutors on Sunday for two hours, according to Italy's La Repubblica . The New Zealander is set to be questioned again on Tuesday, Corriere Della Sera reported .

Giovanni Rizzuti, one of two attorneys appointed to defend Cutfield, said that the yacht captain is "very shaken by the immense tragedy" and intends to defend himself, according to the outlet.

Another attorney, Aldo Mordiglia, told the Washington Post by email that Cutfield is under investigation for potential manslaughter charges.

The Bayesian, an 184-foot superyacht, sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, last week.

Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife Angela Bacares , were rescued, while seven others — including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah — have been confirmed dead.

An investigation into the exact cause of the sinking is ongoing, but some have criticized the crew for supposed shortcomings.

Giovanni Costantino, the CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the firm that built the Bayesian in 2008, blamed the crews for not following protocol and failing to prepare for the storm.

He told the Financial Times that the yacht sank in 16 minutes but that the vessel was "designed to be absolutely stable" as it had the second-tallest mast in the world.

When the yacht started taking on water, the skipper should have locked everything up and gathered all passengers at the safe point, and no one should've been in their cabin, in line with protocol, Costantino told the outlet.

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In an interview with Reuters , Costantino said the yacht's crew members made the "incredible mistake" of not being prepared for the powerful storm that rolled in.

Franco Romani, a nautical architect who was part of the team that designed the yacht, told La Stampa the Bayesian was built to go to sea in "any weather" and that a side hatch that was left open could have let water enter the vessel, per Reuters.

Italian prosecutors said during a press conference on Saturday that they had opened a manslaughter investigation.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese, said he was investigating a "crime hypothesis" of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter.

It's unclear if other crew members will be probed, Reuters reported, adding that in Italy being under investigation does not automatically result in official charges or implied guilt.

Corriere Della Serra reported that investigators have asked Cutfield's deputy, Tijs Koopmans, to stay in Sicily to be questioned again, but they didn't specify whether he was under investigation.

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Yacht Sank in Sicily Due to ‘Endless Chain of Errors,' Ship Maker's Owner Speculates: ‘Everything Was Predictable’

"A series of activities should have been done to avoid finding oneself in that situation," argues Giovanni Costantino, who owns the firm that built the vessel in 2008

• Giovanni Costantino — who is the CEO of The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built the  Bayesian  in 2008 — blames an "endless chain of errors" for the luxury yacht’s sinking on Monday, Aug. 19
• "Everything was predictable. I have the weather charts in front of me here," Constantino told Italian newspaper  Corriere della Sera  of the storm the boat was caught in
• "An unsinkable ship but from the crew an endless chain of errors," the CEO claimed to the outlet

The sinking of the luxury Bayesian  yacht off the coast of Sicily this week  resulted from an "endless chain of errors" by the crew, the ship maker's CEO is speculating.

"This episode sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact," Giovanni Costantino — who leads The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built the  Bayesian  in 2008 — said,  according to CNN .

While speaking to  Italian newspaper  Corriere della Sera , Costantino said he believes those on board should not have been in their cabins, as he claims they were, when the Bayesian sank in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 19. 

Many details of why the yacht went into the water so quickly remain unclear and it's not yet known what the passengers and crew were doing before tragedy struck.

PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The 183-foot British vessel sank around 5 a.m. local time on Monday after a "violent storm" while near Porticello, the Italian coast guard said in a statement that was previously obtained by PEOPLE.

"Everything that has been done reveals a very long sum of errors. The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor. And then why didn't the crew know about the incoming disturbance?" Costantino said in his interview, translated from Italian.

"The passengers reported an absurd thing, namely that the storm came unexpected, suddenly. It's not true. Everything was predictable. I have the weather charts in front of me here. Nothing came suddenly ... Ask yourself, why was no fisherman from Porticello out that night? A fisherman reads the weather conditions and a ship doesn't? The disturbance was fully readable in all the weather charts. One could not not know," he argued.

"An unsinkable ship but from the crew an endless chain of errors," the CEO asserted.

The coast guard has said 22 people were aboard the  Bayesian  when it sank — 12 passengers and 10 crew — and that 15 of those were subsequently rescued.

The body of the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered nearby. 

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty

Costantino's comments came as it was reported that five bodies had been found in the search for the missing six people as of Wednesday, Aug. 21, a source close to the rescue operations confirmed to PEOPLE. Authorities have said that their work is ongoing. 

An Italian government official, Massimo Mariani, reportedly named one of the dead as British tech tycoon Mike Lynch . The other bodies have not yet been publicly identified by authorities. 

Lynch was celebrating with family and friends on the yacht following his acquittal in a fraud trial in June, PEOPLE previously reported.

Costantino offered his view of how the tragedy could have been avoided: "To begin with, in a weather alert situation it was inappropriate to have, as I read, a party. Not that evening. The hull and deck needed to be secured by closing all doors and hatches, after putting the guests at the ship's meeting point as per emergency procedure. Then start the engines and pull up the anchor or release it automatically, put the bow to the wind and lower the keel.

"The next morning they would have departed with zero damage." 

Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty

When discussing whether the crew were at fault, Costantino reiterated to the Italian outlet that he believes "errors were made."

"A series of activities should have been done to avoid finding oneself in that situation," he said. "I as the ship's captain would have moved, but even if for some reason I had to stay there, I would have managed those weather conditions which then, let's face it, weren't so crazy."

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

Costantino contended that there would have been "a zero risk if the correct maneuvers had been made and if situations that compromised the ship's stability had not occurred," adding to the newspaper that reports that the boat went down in seconds is "nonsense." He believes the yacht would have "went down" after water "started to enter" within "six minutes."

The remaining missing  Bayesian  passengers are Lynch's daughter Hannah as well as Chairman of Morgan Stanley International  Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy , and New York City-based lawyer  Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda , sources have said.

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was among those rescued, PEOPLE previously reported.

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Who Owns Which Superyacht? (A Complete Guide)

Have you ever wondered who owns the most luxurious, extravagant, and expensive superyachts? Or how much these lavish vessels are worth? In this complete guide, we’ll explore who owns these magnificent vessels, what amenities they hold, and the cost of these incredible yachts.

We’ll also take a look at some of the most expensive superyachts in the world and the notable people behind them.

Get ready to explore the world of superyachts and the people who own them!

Table of Contents

Short Answer

The ownership of superyachts is generally private, so the exact answer to who owns which superyacht is not always publicly available.

However, there are some notable superyacht owners that are known.

For example, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, owns the Rising Sun, which is the 11th largest superyacht in the world.

Other notable owners include Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Overview of Superyachts

The term superyacht refers to a large, expensive recreational boat that is typically owned by the worlds wealthy elite.

These vessels are designed for luxury cruising and typically range in size from 24 meters to over 150 meters, with some even larger.

Superyachts usually feature extensive amenities and creature comforts, such as swimming pools, outdoor bars, movie theaters, helipads, and spas.

Superyachts can range in price from $30 million to an astonishingly high $400 million.

Like most luxury items, the ownership of a superyacht is a status symbol for those who can afford it.

The list of superyacht owners reads like a whos who of billionaires, with names like Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The most expensive superyacht in the world is owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

While some superyacht owners prefer to keep their vessels out of the public eye, others have made headlines with their extravagant amenities.

Some of the most famous superyachts feature swimming pools, private beaches, helicopter pads, on-board cinemas, and luxurious spas.

In conclusion, owning a superyacht is an exclusive status symbol for the world’s wealthy elite.

These vessels come with hefty price tags that can range from $30 million to over $400 million, and feature some of the most luxurious amenities imaginable.

Notable owners include the Emir of Qatar, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Who are the Owners of Superyachts?

From Hollywood celebrities to tech billionaires, superyacht owners come from all walks of life.

Many of the most well-known owners are billionaires, including Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Other notable owners include Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp.

However, not all superyacht owners are wealthy.

Many are everyday people who have worked hard and saved up to purchase their dream vessel.

Other notable billionaire owners include Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and former US President Donald Trump.

These luxurious vessels come with hefty price tags that can range from $30 million to over $400 million.

For many superyacht owners, their vessels serve as a status symbol of wealth and luxury.

Some owners prefer to keep their yachts out of the public eye, while others have made headlines with their extensive amenities – from swimming pools and helicopter pads to on-board cinemas and spas.

Many of these yachts are designed to the owner’s exact specifications, ensuring that each one is totally unique and reflects the owner’s individual tastes and personality.

Owning a superyacht is an exclusive club, reserved for those with the means and the desire to experience the ultimate in luxury.

Whether they are billionaires or everyday people, superyacht owners are all united in their love of the sea and their appreciation for the finer things in life.

The Most Expensive Superyacht in the World

When it comes to superyachts, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, certainly knows how to make a statement.

His luxury vessel, the 463-foot Al Mirqab, holds the title of the world’s most expensive superyacht.

Built in 2008 by German shipbuilder Peters Werft, this impressive yacht is complete with 10 luxurious cabins, a conference room, cinema, and all the amenities one would expect from a vessel of this magnitude.

In addition, the Al Mirqab features a helipad, swimming pool, and even an outdoor Jacuzzi.

With a price tag of over $400 million, the Al Mirqab is one of the most expensive yachts in the world.

In addition to the Emir of Qatar, there are several other notable owners of superyachts.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos all own luxurious vessels.

Bezos yacht, the aptly named The Flying Fox, is one of the longest superyachts in the world at a staggering 414 feet in length.

The Flying Fox also comes with a host of amenities, such as a helipad, swimming pool, spa, and multiple outdoor entertaining areas.

Bezos also reportedly spent over $400 million on the vessel.

Other notable owners of superyachts include Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns the $200 million Kingdom 5KR, and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who owns the $200 million Rising Sun.

There are also many lesser-known owners, such as hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin, who owns the $150 million Aviva, and investor Sir Philip Green, who owns the $100 million Lionheart.

No matter who owns them, superyachts are sure to turn heads.

With their impressive size, luxurious amenities, and hefty price tags, these vessels have become a symbol of wealth and prestige.

Whether its the Emir of Qatar or a lesser-known owner, the worlds superyacht owners are sure to make a statement.

Notable Superyacht Owners

When it comes to the wealthiest and most luxurious owners of superyachts, the list reads like a whos who of the worlds billionaires.

At the top of the list is the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who holds the distinction of owning the most expensive superyacht in the world.

Aside from the Emir, other notable owners include Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

All of these owners have made headlines with their extravagant vessels, which are typically priced between $30 million and $400 million.

The amenities that come with these vessels vary greatly from owner to owner, but they almost always include luxurious swimming pools, helicopter pads, on-board cinemas, and spas.

Some owners opt for more extravagant features, such as submarines, personal submarines, and even their own personal submarines! Other owners prefer to keep their vessels out of the public eye, but for those who prefer a more showy approach, they can certainly make a statement with a superyacht.

No matter who owns the vessel, it’s no surprise that these superyachts are a status symbol among the world’s wealthiest.

Whether you’re trying to impress your peers or just looking to enjoy a luxurious outing, owning a superyacht is the ultimate way to show off your wealth.

What Amenities are Included on Superyachts?

Owning a superyacht is a sign of wealth and prestige, and many of the worlds most prominent billionaires have their own vessels.

The most expensive superyacht in the world is owned by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, while other notable owners include Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The cost of a superyacht can range from $30 million to over $400 million, but the price tag doesnt quite capture the sheer extravagance and amenities of these vessels.

Superyachts come with all the comforts of home, and then some.

Many owners will equip their vessels with swimming pools, helicopter pads, on-board cinemas, spas, and other luxury amenities.

The interior of a superyacht can be custom-designed to the owners specifications.

Some owners opt for modern, sleek designs, while others prefer a more traditional look.

Many of the most luxurious yachts feature marble floors, walk-in closets, and custom-made furniture.

Some vessels even come with a full-service gym, complete with exercise equipment and trained professionals.

Other amenities may include a library, casino, media room, and private bar.

When it comes to outdoor amenities, superyachts have some of the most impressive features in the world.

Many yachts come with outdoor entertainment areas, complete with full kitchens, dining rooms, and lounge areas.

Some owners even opt for hot tubs or jacuzzis for relaxing afternoons in the sun.

And, of course, there are the jet skis, water slides, and other exciting water activities that come with many of these vessels.

No matter what amenities a superyacht has, it is sure to be an experience like no other.

From the sleek interiors to the luxurious outdoor features, these vessels provide a unique, luxurious experience that is unrivaled on land.

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing escape or an exciting adventure, a superyacht is sure to provide.

How Much Do Superyachts Cost?

When it comes to superyachts, the sky is the limit when it comes to cost.

These luxury vessels come with hefty price tags that can range from anywhere between $30 million to over $400 million.

So, if youre in the market for a superyacht, youre looking at an investment that could easily break the bank.

The cost of a superyacht is driven by a variety of factors, including size, amenities, and customization.

Generally, the larger the yacht, the more expensive it will be.

Superyachts typically range in size from 100 feet to over 200 feet, and they can be as wide as 40 feet.

The bigger the yacht, the more luxurious features and amenities it will have.

Amenities also play a significant role in the cost of a superyacht.

While some owners prefer to keep their yachts out of the public eye, others have made headlines with their extensive amenities.

From swimming pools and helicopter pads to on-board cinemas and spas, the sky is the limit when it comes to customizing a superyacht.

The more amenities a superyacht has, the more expensive it will be.

Finally, customization is another major factor that will drive up the cost of a superyacht.

Many luxury vessels have custom-designed interiors that are tailored to the owners tastes.

From custom furniture and artwork to lighting and audio systems, the cost of a superyacht can quickly escalate depending on the level of customization.

In short, the cost of a superyacht can vary widely depending on its size, amenities, and customization.

While some may be able to get away with spending a few million dollars, others may end up spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their dream yacht.

No matter what your budget is, its important to do your research and find out exactly what youre getting for your money before signing on the dotted line.

Keeping Superyachts Out of the Public Eye

When it comes to owning a superyacht, some owners prefer to keep their vessels out of the public eye.

Understandably, these individuals are concerned with privacy and discretion, and therefore tend to take measures to ensure their yachts are not visible to outsiders.

For instance, some superyacht owners opt to keep their vessels in private marinas, away from the public areas of larger ports.

Additionally, some yacht owners may choose to hire security guards to patrol and protect their vessels while they are moored or sailing.

In addition to physical security, some superyacht owners also use technology to keep their vessels out of the public eye.

For example, a yacht owner may choose to install a satellite-based communications system that allows them to keep their vessel completely off-radar.

This system works by bouncing signals off satellites rather than transmitting them, making it virtually impossible for anyone to track the yachts movements.

Finally, some superyacht owners also choose to limit the number of people who have access to their vessels.

For instance, the owner may only allow family members and close friends to board the yacht.

Additionally, the owner may choose to employ a limited number of staff to help maintain the vessel and keep it running smoothly.

These individuals may be required to sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure they do not disclose any information about the yacht or its owner.

Overall, while some superyacht owners may choose to keep their vessels out of the public eye, there are still plenty of other ways to show off the opulence associated with owning a superyacht.

From swimming pools and helicopter pads to on-board cinemas and spas, there are many luxurious amenities that can make a superyacht the envy of any jet setter.

Final Thoughts

Superyachts are a symbol of luxury and status, and the list of yacht owners reads like a who’s who of billionaires.

From the Emir of Qatar’s world-record breaking $400 million yacht to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s vessel with a helicopter pad and on-board spa, the amenities of these luxury vessels are truly stunning.

With prices ranging from $30 million to over $400 million, owning a superyacht is an expensive endeavor.

Whether you’re looking to purchase one or just curious to learn more about the owners and their amenities, this guide will provide you with all the information you need to stay up to date with the superyacht scene.

James Frami

At the age of 15, he and four other friends from his neighborhood constructed their first boat. He has been sailing for almost 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge that he wants to share with others.

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